SLO woman turns 100 on Christmas. But if you ask her, she’s much younger.

Carol Judd will celebrate Christmas by blowing out 100 birthday candles — although she’ll likely tell you she doesn’t need quite so many.

“I keep telling people I’m 69,” she said. “I don’t know why they don’t believe me.”

Judd, who’s lived in San Luis Obispo since the 1950s, is indeed spry for someone who’s seen a century of life. She volunteers at French Hospital Medical Center, is involved in the Cal Poly Women’s Club and plays the autoharp in the San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church choir.

At a Madonna Inn party thrown by her daughters, Judd didn’t need a walker to navigate around tables decorated with pictures of her favorite things: crocheted blankets, Carol Higgins Clark mystery books and the TV quiz show “Jeopardy.”

“I don’t know the answers, but I like learning,” Judd said of her favorite program.

Judd has lived a life that took her from the Midwest to the West Coast and beyond. She was born on a farm in South Dakota, and said the doctor who helped deliver her had to stay the night with her family because a snowstorm prevented him from getting home.

When her first husband got a job in Oregon, Judd relocated to the West Coast. After his death, she remarried and moved to San Luis Obispo with her second husband, who taught math at Cal Poly and died in the 1990s.

Judd has three daughters — one in San Luis Obispo, one in Morro Bay and another in Los Angeles — and worked as a secretary at the California Men’s Colony and in the San Luis Obispo County Auditor’s Office until her retirement.

Her family members said they admire her adventurous and giving spirit.

Anita Judd, Carol Judd’s daughter, reminisced about the trips she’s taken with her mother. A photo slideshow projected onto a screen at the party showed images from Judd’s extensive travels — she’s visited all seven continents.

Susan Wilson, Judd’s Maryland niece, talked about her aunt’s outgoing and friendly nature. On a trip to visit Wilson, Judd once made friends with all her niece’s acquaintances while traveling — by the time she got to her destination, no introductions were needed.

“Aunt Carol is certainly no shy flower,” Wilson said.

Lacey Redd, Judd’s granddaughter who lives in Pismo Beach, described her grandmother as someone she looks up to and who “seemed to just get things done and do them herself.”

“Just the fact that she’s continuing to learn, I think, remarks on her inner being,” Redd said. “I just really appreciate that kind of spirit.”

When asked about her secret to longevity, Judd replied:

“Just keep breathing.”

This story was originally published December 23, 2016 at 9:08 PM with the headline "SLO woman turns 100 on Christmas. But if you ask her, she’s much younger.."